Bunnies

It's getting to be that time of the year for the local bunnies (Sylvilagus audubonii for you Latin fans), when they are down to iron rations in the form of palo verde twigs. In particularly desperate seasons they will nip off thicker branches, peeling the bark and leaving piles of bare twigs behind.
The local bunnies had a good spring and have been reproducing as in the proverb. Little ones were a common sight. Not all survived to adulthood; I was treated to the scene of what happens when a rattlesnake discovers a nest of young. I would have been unaware of the event had the mother rabbit not returned and picked a fight with the snake about fifteen feet from my window. She was struck several times but persisted for a while until she limped off to nurse some non-fatal wounds (dry bites, presumably) and observe the rest of the proceedings.
Recently a family of Harris's hawks began hunting in the area and the rabbits have noticed. Previously they were wary, but the hawks' presence has made them visibly more cautious, more often sticking to cover. Numbers are down a bit lately as well.
6/23 addendum: Just watched a bunny climb about a foot up into a tree branch after twigs.

Posted on Ιούνιος 19, 2023 0356 ΠΜ by stevejones